The Media Leader Podcast

On Halloween, industry wellbeing charity Nabs released the results of its All Ears consultation. The report found that more than one-third of industry professionals feel unable to discuss mental wellness in the workplace, that stress and burnout are normalised, and that those with a minority ethnic background are significantly less likely than those with a white ethnic background to see a future for themselves in media.Nabs CEO Sue Todd and Assembly managing partner James Appleby join Jack Benjamin to examine tangible steps agencies and industry leaders can take to better the working lives of their staff.Appleby, who also works to lead Nabs’ Fast Forward training programme, explains the challenges and positives of the pitch process, and how to handle both acute and chronic mental health challenges.“Everyone’s got the same expectations of work and wishes of work," said Sue Todd. "People want clear boundaries between work and home. People want safe spaces to have conversations. People feel the same sorts of pressures.”---This episode was edited by our production partner Trisonic.Visit The Media Leader for the most authoritative news analysis and comment on what's happening in commercial media. LinkedIn: The Media LeaderThreads: @TheMediaLeaderTwitter: @TheMediaLeader YouTube: The Media Leader

Host Jack Benjamin is joined by reporter Ella Sagar and Outvertising and Purpose Union's Cass Naylor to discuss fears of AI's ability to spread disinformation, Journalism Matters week takeaways, and the strength of the ad market as we approach the holiday season.The trio also digs into whether recent box office figures are sustainable, the IAB's first ever brand-building campaign, and whether CEOs are entering their 'supervillain era' in mandating returns to the office.Commenting on takeaways from last week's AI summit, Naylor said: "The most important things that came out of Bletchley were A) an identification of the problem and a mutual agreement of what the problem is among the people that matter — America, China, and the EU — all of whom are taking different speeds in their approach to this; and B) proposals for the industry to institute various forms of self-regulation, which I think is the only way we're going to keep ahead of this."Show highlights:1:30: The risk of AI-generated misinformation8:31: The dangers and possibilities of tailored GPTs15:13: Big Tech’s ‘existential threat’ to news publishers17:45: The strength of the ad market heading into Christmas season20:44: Growth of the holiday season and favourite Christmas ads28:59: Rapid fire questions29:33: IAB’s “chief digital cheerleader” brand-building campaign31:17: Is the UK’s recent box office success sustainable post-Barbenheimer?34:51: Clear Channel’s earnings and upfronts36:15: Support for the media in the king’s speech39:05: Return-to-office mandates – are CEOs entering a supervillain era?41:54: Why is Cass passionate about media? ---Visit The Media Leader for the most authoritative news analysis and comment on what's happening in commercial media. LinkedIn: The Media LeaderThreads: @TheMediaLeaderX: @TheMediaLeader YouTube: The Media Leader

Is the metaverse dead? Was it ever alive to begin with?At last month's The Future of Gaming event in London, host Jack Benjamin took the stage alongside Shay Thompson to chat about her views on the gaming market.Thompson is a presenter and broadcaster covering gaming, and among the most respected journalists in the UK on the subject. She has collaborated with the likes of Bafta, McLaren, Xbox, Activision, and Ubisoft, and she currently appears on the BBC Sounds podcast Press X to Continue.In the fireside chat, the pair ran the gamut of gaming topics, talking about everything from this year’s biggest releases and how The New York Times has become a major gaming company to why Shay thinks the metaverse is “dead in the water”.A write-up of the debate over the metaverse can be read online on The Media Leader.---This episode was edited by our production partner Trisonic.Visit The Media Leader for the most authoritative news analysis and comment on what's happening in commercial media. LinkedIn: The Media LeaderThreads: @TheMediaLeaderTwitter: @TheMediaLeader YouTube: The Media Leader

Host Jack Benjamin is joined by editor-in-chief Omar Oakes and columnist Nicola Kemp to discuss NABS' All Ears consultation results, hybrid working pressures, and the latest AA/WARC figures, which found that TV experienced a summer recession.The trio also digs into the latest earnings results for Meta and Amazon, and gives one word for what they think about Boris Johnson's new gig as a presenter for GB News."There is a really big 'say-do gap, particularly in media," warns Kemp. "It's really important that we have leaders sharing thought leadership articles on mental health... but is it having an impact on the lived experiences of employees? This All Earns research suggests that no, it isn't."Addressing that say-do gap is so vital, because otherwise, leaders look not just out of touch, but they're in danger of gaslighting their own employees with their words."Read Kemp's latest column: "Don't blame women for working flexibly"Show highlights:1:49: Mental health in the workplace, the say-do gap.4:23: Hybrid work and its impact on mental health.9:38: Hybrid work model's impact on mental health and communication.15:05: Workplace flexibility and gender equality.19:39: Why the UK TV advertising market has had a tough summer + Paramount's decision to scrap My5 as a separate BVOD service30:04: Rugby World Cup: why is sports broadcasting not innovating?35:15: Quick-fire round: Meta, Amazon and retail media, Boris Johnson on GB News.---Visit The Media Leader for the most authoritative news analysis and comment on what's happening in commercial media. LinkedIn: The Media LeaderThreads: @TheMediaLeaderX: @TheMediaLeader YouTube: The Media Leader

Yannick Bolloré, CEO and chairman of Vivendi and Havas, talks to editor-in-chief Omar Oakes about the future of media, how Vivendi can compete on a global scale, what's the grand strategy behind the company's acquisitions and where Havas' new ad agency Uncommon fits in.Speaking at our recent The Future of Media conference in London, Bolloré also answered questions about greenwashing and working for Shell as a new client and how the company has a policy around sustainability and making sure advertisers adhere to policies.With thanks to audience questions from columnist Nick Manning, Liberty Sky Advisors' Ian Whittaker, and Pixability MD Cadi Jones.Read a write-up of the conversation by reporter Ella Sagar here.---Visit The Media Leader for the most authoritative news analysis and comment on what's happening in commercial media. LinkedIn: The Media LeaderThreads: @TheMediaLeaderX: @TheMediaLeader YouTube: The Media Leader

Host Jack Benjamin and is joined by reporter Ella Sagar and editor-in-chief Omar Oakes to discuss this quarter's Rajar figures and how podcasts are not just an audio format anymore. So if podcasts aren't just audio, why are we still calling them "podcasts," asked Oakes.The trio also talks about the latest earnings results for Spotify, Netflix, and the major media agency holding companies, as well as argue why advertising on streaming video platforms like Netflix and YouTube makes for such a bad user experience.Read Oakes' latest column: "Let's ditch 'Podcast' and other messy media labels"Show highlights:1:27: Rajar run down5:52: Time to ditch the ‘podcast’ label15:22: Short form long form and midform: the future of ‘content’22:04: Rapid fire… Spotify earnings24:37: Why video is leading digital adspend growth27:28: Why IPG earnings are lagging rival agency groups29:26: Can Netflix they keep raising prices?34:29: Meta sued over mental health concerns38:35: What’s is the TML team working on next?---Visit The Media Leader for the most authoritative news analysis and comment on what's happening in commercial media. LinkedIn: The Media LeaderThreads: @TheMediaLeaderX: @TheMediaLeader YouTube: The Media Leader

"The Duracell bunny" of advertising — that’s how ITV describes peak time TV spots, because, they say, their benefit keeps going and going.ITV and media investment analysts ViewersLogic have published a cross-market study that proves the value of peak airtime of responsive advertising. They say that peak TV spots deliver direct responses in the short term, but their hidden value is in their longevity, generating responses long after other TV spots advertising have finished working.To explain why and how, Omar Oakes is joined by Neil Charles, the Measurement and Modelling senior manager at ITV, and Ronny Golan, the CEO and cofounder of ViewersLogic."When it comes to TV, I do think that going beyond the five-minute, 10-minute attribution that shows that daytime really works, and understanding the actual effect over a week, a month, three months will enable brands to also change the mix within their TV advertising," said Golan.---Visit The Media Leader for the most authoritative news analysis and comment on what's happening in commercial media. LinkedIn: The Media LeaderThreads: @TheMediaLeaderTwitter: @TheMediaLeader YouTube: The Media Leader

Digital ad platform Teads has in recent years expanded its footprint beyond its digital display roots into connected TV. And, like many digital players, it is looking to leverage AI and machine-learning tools to the benefit of clients.Teads co-CEO Jeremy Arditi caught up with host Jack Benjamin to talk about how AI is powering creative solutions while being capable of respecting user privacy.Speaking from Advertising Week New York, Arditi explained: “It might feel like, to a user, that they're seeing ads that are much more personalised, but that doesn't necessarily mean that the machine needs to know a whole lot of specific attributes, and private attributes, of that user."Arditi also discussed how moving into CTV has been "organic and natural" for Teads, despite some challenges.Read the full write-up of the interview on The Media Leader.---This episode was edited by our production partner Trisonic.Visit The Media Leader for the most authoritative news analysis and comment on what's happening in commercial media. LinkedIn: The Media LeaderThreads: @TheMediaLeaderTwitter: @TheMediaLeader YouTube: The Media Leader

Host Jack Benjamin is joined by reporter Ella Sagar and editor-in-chief Omar Oakes to unpack the key takeaways from last week's The Future of Media and The Future of Gaming events in London.The trio also discuss how the Israel-Hamas war has caused trouble for social media companies and the BBC alike.Read Raymond Snoddy's latest column: "BBC’s rigidity over ‘the T word’ is damaging its reputation"Show highlights:1.58 Key takeaways from The Future of Media - how can we measure the full "impact" of media?5:15 Retail media: so much discussion but was it all "hot air"?12:25 The Future of Gaming: key takeaways 24:41 BBC impartiality in Israel-Palestine coverage34:53 Misinformation and propaganda on social media46:05 WPP merges ad agencies VMLY&R and Wunderman Thompson — do agency brands still matter? Plus The Guardian's new advertising council , TikTok moving into OOH and cinema, and Netflix's expansion into brick-and-mortar retail.---Visit The Media Leader for the most authoritative news analysis and comment on what's happening in commercial media. LinkedIn: The Media LeaderThreads: @TheMediaLeaderTwitter: @TheMediaLeader YouTube: The Media Leader

Ahead of the online video giant's YouTube Festival event to woo UK advertisers this week, Kevin Allocca tells editor-in-chief Omar Oakes why being 'viral' is less important and how the rise of TikTok and changing attitudes to online video have impacted YouTube's strategy.Allocca and Oakes also discuss why YouTube's research claims more than half of YouTube viewers are happy to watch ads attached to content of favourite creators in order to support them, and why 42% of viewers in the UK say that YouTube enables them to find the exact content they like at any moment.Kevin Allocca is global director of Culture & Trends at YouTube, where he tracks popular video phenomena and manages trending content initiatives. He is also the author of Videocracy, an exploration of YouTube's most interesting trends and the impact of video in our culture.---Visit The Media Leader for the most authoritative news analysis and comment on what's happening in commercial media. LinkedIn: The Media LeaderThreads: @TheMediaLeaderTwitter: @TheMediaLeader YouTube: The Media Leader